Controlling the assembly of hydrophobized gold nanoparticles at the air–water interface by varying the interfacial tension

Abstract

Controlled assembly is the key to harness the nanoscale properties of nanoparticles in most technological applications and it has been an important challenge as it leads to the manipulation of interparticle properties. The present work depicts the control of the assembly of nanoparticles in the monolayers by evaporation kinetics and particle interactions at the air-liquid interface. In the presence of attractive particle-particle and particle-monolayers interactions, nanoparticles self assemble into a superlattice structure upon drying from a colloidal suspension on to the preformed lipid monolayers. This self-assembly mechanism produces monolayers with long-range ordering. However, rapid dewetting and high rate of evaporation can significantly undermine the extent of ordering. Using gold nanoparticles as vehicles for experimentation and by changing the monolayers and solvent, we here demonstrate that the extent of ordering of nanoparticles can be controlled.

Langmuir‐Blodgett Methodology: A Versatile Technique to Build 2D Material Films

“…To solve this problem, some approaches have been proposed. One of the most widely used strategies consists of mixing nanoparticles with surfactants or polymers and then transferring the mixture from the air-water interface onto the solid substrate [61][62][63]. This approach seeks to control the assembly of hydrophobic nanoparticles at the air-water interface.…”

Incorporation of gold nanoparticles into Langmuir-Blodgett films of polyaniline and montmorillonite for enhanced detection of metallic ions

“…The combination of two or more materials in a single device structure has become popular since synergy may be achieved in the materials properties, particularly when they are assembled in nanostructures [1][2][3][4][5]. In a number of applications, metallic nanoparticles are added to organic molecules to yield hybrids, with assembly via film-fabrication methods that allow for control of the molecular architecture, such as the Layer-by-Layer (LbL) and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) techniques [6][7][8][9][10]. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), in particular, have had their catalytic activity and optical properties exploited in sensors, biosensors and electrochromic devices [8,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

“…The catalytic activity of these LB films depended on the AuNPs density, according to atomic force microscopy (AFM) and voltammetric analyses. Gupta et al [7] controlled the assembly of hydrophobized AuNPs at the air/water interface by varying interfacial tension. Zou et al [21] modified glass carbon electrodes with LB films of PAni-ES and AuNPs, which were used as voltammetric sensors for detecting epinephrene and uric acid.…”

QDs Supported on Langmuir‐Blodgett Films of Polymers and Gemini Surfactant

“…The methodology employed in this work consists in transferring nanoparticles of QDs from the air-water interface onto mica previously coated by LB films of PMAO, PS-MA-BEE, or the Gemini surfactant 18-2-18. Since several polymer/surfactant mixtures provide synergistic effects on the surface adsorption [43][44][45][46], we also studied the ability of mixed PMAO/18-2-18 LB films to modulate the self-assembly of QDs films. The LB film morphology was analyzed by different imaging microcopy techniques, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).…”